From New Beginnings to Dead Ends
by toLAZYtosignin
Summary: The general's posturing threw the small troll into a panic, his arms waving wildly. "I'm good on my word! Besides, just look at me. I'm hardly a threat!"
1. Chapter 1

Author's note/warnings:

-The main pairing is Blinky X Arrrgh.

-Cannon death/Main character death.

-Brief hints about troll anatomy.

-I have three different places I could end the story, and I have yet to decide on where. I might break it up into multiple stories.

-May or may not include Mpreg, though the notion will be hinted at.

-Possible triggers.

-Wrote this on my phone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Trollhunters nor any of the characters from that show.

* * *

 **Past (part 1)**

The fleeing troll, no matter how strong he may be, was no match for the adversary tailing close behind. The dry desert earth beneath cracked and shifted under the efforts of his growing desperation.

One did not steal extra rations... especially the general's rations.

As honest as a gum-gum's intentions could be, he didn't realize just who the rations belonged too. Just some lucky troll, he thought, who didn't deserve them.

In a futile attempt to dissuade the general's punishment, he had left the cover of the trees in favor of the open wasteland that held no shelter for their kind once the sun came up. Hoped the larger troll would leave him to the mercy of daylight.

Of course not.

The general lunged forward, hand catching one of the underling's curved horns and yanking down. Said underling's momentum pulled his own feet out from under himself. The poor thief now sprawled on his back, barely holding up against the fists baring down with lethal force, had but a moment to react.

A swift kick to the general's face gives the underling a chance to crawl away. However, the moment the troll is back on his feet, he's stuck and his body flung into a nearby ravine.

Upon landing he lost a leg, his appendage crumbling to rock shards and dust.

With luck his pursuer would leave him to nature's own devices.

That string of hope was gone the moment the ground beside him shattered under the general's weight.

The struggle ended seconds after.

The gum-gum General huffed as the rage drained to a minimum, his eyes loosing their glow along with the markings engraved into his arms. His prey now a pile of stone lay stranded at the bottom of this empty ravine.

Arrrgh let himself slump against an earthen wall. The chase and rage had proven tiring. The troll had yet to grow comfortable to his little rage fits that had earned him his position as general. The feeling actually tended to disturb the gum-gum. He found it best to just let his impulses work themselves out instead of resisting. The quicker they were settled, the better.

Stealing rations wasn't technically an instant death sentence, but this was an unique case.

Arrrgh preferred stale clothes over the taste of flesh. Most of Gunmar's generals hoarded animal and human flesh, yet not him.

For that underling to steal from his personal stash of rations meant he'd be left with meat as his next meal.

"Oh my." A nearly inaudible voice murmured.

The large troll's ears perked as he sniffed the air for the voice's owner.

Whoever it was must have realized he'd been caught and stumbled away in fear.

The previous events may have been tiring, but Arrrgh was far from his limit. The gum-gum followed the noises and was able to efficiently stop the newcomer in his tracks, blocking the stranger's escape route.

The small troll faltered, raising four placating hands up in submission.

"I didn't mean to pry! Please, I know little of your reasons for killing the other. It's none of my concern! I won't tell a soul!"

The newcomer was quick of speech and obviously a very learned-type troll judging by his speech alone. A strange quality rarely found amongst Gunmar's followers.

Arrrgh's eyes flickered as he raised up to his full height. He should just kill him.

The general's posturing threw the small troll into a panic, his arms waving wildly.

"I'm good on my word! Besides, just look at me. I'm hardly a threat!"

Despite himself, the larger troll relaxed.

The newcomer was interesting enough. It did not require a genius to notice the troll's two rare physical traits. Four arms were highly uncommon as well as having three sets of eyes, making six eyes in total.

The stout troll continued to babble as he was further inspected.

He was a dull blue shade and shorter than most trolls Arrrgh knew. However, his voice was deep, an exception to the voice-to-size stereotype.

The gum-gum sighed.

The stranger hardly resembled either faction of the war. Probably just a neutral.

While it was a well known fact that Gunmar appreciated neutrals about as much as he appreciated humans, Arrrgh didn't mind them at all. Their lifestyle almost appealed to the large troll...

But only with the gum-gums could he properly vent his rage.

Arrrgh then peered up. It was getting bright out and this ravine wouldn't provide sufficient shelter from the sun for too long. He then glanced about realising he didn't quite recall from which direction he'd come from either. By the time he could climb back up, he wouldn't be able to reach the cover of the forest before daylight bathed the entire wasteland.

His best bet was to find a big enough nook in the ravine walls, so he began his search.

The smaller troll fell silent when the general simply walked past without even a glance.

Curious, the blue troll followed behind him.

Arrrgh was so absorbed in his quest for shelter that he paid no heed to the stranger.

It wasn't long before he found what he was looking for, even though it would be a tight fit. The green haired troll then proceeded to wedge himself into place, only pausing when the smaller troll cleared his throat.

"There's a bigger one just up ahead... I dare say it's big enough to be classified as a cave even."

Arrrgh raised a questioning browridge at which the other looked away.

"I-I've been stuck down here for some time..."

The blue troll then shuffled away nervously to said cave, and after a moment of contemplation, the gum-gum followed.

The general was quite surprised by it's size and made himself comfortable across from the fidgety troll.

There they sat in a mutual silence. The smaller of the two opened one of the bags fixed to the sides of his belt and revealed a couple of...

Arrrgh huffed in frustration. The objects were somewhat familiar, yet he had trouble recalling their name.

"What are those?" He spoke for the first time to the stranger.

Half expecting the other to flinch, Arrrgh was surprised by the smaller troll's sudden comfort with the situation. His entire body was relaxed and eyes unwavering from the objects' fine material.

"They are called books." He smiled fondly, "Great sources of knowledge and history and documentations."

He then straightened abruptly.

"Do you not read books, Mr...?"

It took a few moments of drawn out silence before the general understood.

"Arrrgh."

"Argh? A very interesting name indeed. You may call me Blinky." A set of eyes strayed up to meet the larger troll's gaze, "So, Argh. How would you spell that exactly?"

Arrrgh shook his head in displeasure of how quickly his name rolled off Blinky's tongue. It reminded him too much of his birth name.

"Not Argh. Arrrgh." He insisted.

"So two- no... maybe three r's then?"

The gum-gum's frown deepened, his confusion evident across his features.

The books were returned to their pouches as the blue troll stood up, a sense of determination in his eyes.

"I apologize. If you didn't know what a book was I shouldn't have assumed you to have done much reading or writing." He said genuinely sorry, "You can't spell, can you?"

Blinky then produced a large charcoal rock in which he offered to the other.

Once Arrrgh accepted it, the smaller troll took out a second charcoal piece and crouched low to the floor.

"While I am aware not everyone shares my interests, I firmly believe that everyone should at least know how to write their name." He said, beginning to scribble out small symbols on the dry dirt, "How.. about... this?"

Blinky seemed proud of his work though Arrrgh simply tilted his head, eyes studying the trollish calligraphy.

He'd seen the more intellectual generals write before as they scrawled down important lists far too long for anyone to remember.

While curious as to how they understood and knew how to arrange those symbols, it seemed far too complicated to even consider learning.

"Looks fine." Arrrgh replied, "How to remember it?"

A soft sigh.

"Well... I guess I should have started off by showing you the trollish alphabet-"

* * *

AN: I wrote this only because this is the first tiny fandom I have ever joined and i can hardly find friendship fics on Arrrgh and Blinky, let alone fics where they are paired together.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: If you're looking for a disclaimer, i only put those in my first chapters of my fics.

* * *

 **Past (part 2)**

He was not aware of the exact moment Blinky fell asleep whilst leaning against him. Arrrgh had been too busy scratching his name in the dirt repeatedly with his charcoal piece.

After the smaller troll's lesson, the general grew fond of his name expressed by the chosen symbols...

But it would seem he was running out of room.

As he leaned further forward to write again, he finally noticed the weight against his chest.

How a troll slept so heavily in the presence of a stranger, one who he witnessed kill another, was beyond Arrrgh's understanding. Neutral or not, the war should have put every troll on alert.

The gum-gum decided to take a brake from his practice knowing he'd stayed up late enough. The light outside suggested it was around noon. If Arrrgh wished to wake up by sundown, he needed to rest.

He chose against bothering Blinky and allowed his head to gently rest atop the smaller troll's. He then relaxed, taking in a deep breath.

The other troll had a calming scent about him, Arrrgh observed before his consciousness slipped away.

Blinkous Galadrigal awoke to the soft breath of his new acquaintance ghosting over head. Carefully he crawled away from the larger troll before dusting himself off.

It had been a foolish move to have let his guard down so easily. However, the subject of books and getting to teach another how to write was... it was nostalgic and well within his comfort zone... but foolish nonetheless.

Despite Blinky's paranoid nature, he found himself drawn in by Arrrgh's calm mannerisms... Clam and gentle mannerisms.

Two very different qualities than the ones he'd displayed when he killed that other troll.

Arrrgh stirred from his own slumber with a yawn. His eyes comfortable when greeted with the dim light.

Without a word, he stood up and exited the cave. A suddenly desperate Blinky rushed after.

"Are you trying to leave this ravine?" The scholar called, "If so, would it be too much of me to require of your assistance!"

He flinched when the general turned to stare at him, but managed to keep eye contact. When Arrrgh had yet to reply, Blinky couldn't help wringing both sets of hands.

"I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to climb the ravine walls for three days now... I could use help."

The larger troll regarded him a few seconds more before giving him a slight nod.

Once again, Blinky's usual paranoia went forgotten as he felt oddly safe with Arrrgh.

Their assent out of the ravine was achieved through the general's brute strength and the other clutching onto the scruff of his back.

Luckily they had gone up the correct side on the first try and Arrrgh spotted the disturbed earth from last night's struggle.

It surprised neither when the two traveled together.

The desert was vast and the only confirmed route to sufficient cover was Arrrgh's trail, as Blinky could not recall from which direction he journeyed from or had been journeying to. Every troll held the right to seek protection from the sun.

Besides, the general found he rather enjoyed the blue troll's deep voice and Blinky was more than happy to oblige in conversation.

It was obvious this small troll held a near insatiable curiosity for knowledge. He kept using words Arrrgh didn't understand or couldn't pronounce properly.

When Blinky thought it prudent to correct him or provide a definition, the gum-gum didn't feel insulted as he had when another of Gunmar's generals had done so. Maybe it was Blinky's tone. His words purely informative without a hint of distaste.

Arrrgh once again felt his traveling companion must have been of neutral standing.

While the heartstone troll tribes were much more accepting of intellectual types, even they couldn't completely block out their instincts... and troll instincts favored brawn over brains.

Their leisurely pace had taken up half the night by the time they reached the cover of trees.

They were a few hours out from the gum-gum campsite, Arrrgh knew. He chose not to bring this up yet, as his dealings with Blinky were better than even his most loyal of officers.

Fear never made for anything pleasant except survival.

Arrrgh forced his thoughts away from the war to focus on Blinky.

He was talking about a library. Apparently it belonged to his older brother. He then proceeded to tell Arrrgh that he would be welcome to visit anytime. A strange notion as he still lacked the ability to read.

An hour later, the general still refrained from speaking up and the mostly one-sided conversation continued.

It wasn't until a soft rustle in the bushes sounded from his left that he became wary.

As stated before, Gunmar does not appreciate neutrals anymore than the humans he dined on. Many of his followers shared his sentiments.

The rustling grew in volume, silencing Blinky's ramblings.

Arrrgh caught sight of a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. In less than a moment, his tattoos and eyes lit up in a sudden burst of rage.

His stone fist nearly made contact with it's target when a blue blur stood in it's path.

The general pulled back on his swing just in time to avoid hitting Blinky and see a frightened deer prance away.

"What in Deya's grace was that?!" The stout troll yelled, "What if that had not been a mere forest creature? You could have killed some troll!"

The larger troll winced at the scholar's biting tone and agitated features.

Arrrgh attacked BECAUSE he thought it was another troll. However, he felt it best not to voice this.

Blinky threw up all four hands in exasperation.

"Besides, what did that deer do to you? What threat did it pose? None whatsoever!" He stamped a foot, "To attack first without assessing the situation is no way a troll should act!"

Arrrgh was quiet.

He could not make sense of Blinky's ire.

A common rule among all trolls was to always be afraid, for it heightens your senses and reaction time. Then there was the rule of the gum-gums. Kill or be killed.

The later had proven useful before, as such he struck first.

So... what exactly did he do wrong?

"Is that what happened to that other troll?"

Arrrgh froze, distress blatant across his features. He hadn't expected that.

Blinky continued, "But you didn't attack me. Why?"

The general slumped to the ground and racked his brain for the best answers. Why had he not killed him? Every gum-gum instinct beat into him since childhood should have guaranteed it.

Arrrgh sighed, "Other troll stole rations."

Blinky nodded, having already assumed Arrrgh was a soldier, and knowing among many tribes that stealing rations was the equivalent to proposing a challenge.

The larger troll still had yet to answer why he spared Blinky and skipped to the deer.

"Attacked deer to protect you."

It was the only explanation that actually made sense somewhat. He had been worried a fellow gum-gum would attack his acquaintance.

Blinky recoiled as if his answer burned.

"So you know then?" He whispered.

"You are neutral." Arrrgh stated and Blinky relaxed.

"Uh, yes... yes I'm a neutral." The smaller troll confirmed, if though looking a tad bit confused.

This stirred mixed feelings within the general. He may not be overly smart, but that had sounded as if Blinky was trying to convince himself of the fact.

Whatever the reason for the blue troll's unease, it had nothing to do with being neutral.

"Sorry." Arrrgh tried to return the peace they had been enjoying before the deer.

* * *

AN: I've actually written the next four chapters already and want to post them all right now just cause I'm lazy and want to get it over with... but i won't. I'll stretch it out nice and long.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Last chapter of the past.

* * *

 **Past (part 3)**

Blinky forgave him, though it wasn't the same after.

They were silent and non-moving for a little over thirty minutes. Finally, they chose to rest there, both now seated on the forest floor.

It did not matter how much time they wasted, as the trees would protect them during daylight hours.

When the scholar relaxed, he seemed to carry an aura guilt. Of what, the other didn't know.

Then he was further surprised by Blinky's final breaking of their silence.

"I should be the one to apologize... I cannot properly begin to understand the life of a soldier, as I am useless in a fight. Not everyone has to rely on an alternative means to confrontation such as I do." He admitted, "It is, simply put, not my place to question your actions."

The blue troll chanced a quick glance up in the other's direction.

"Yet you keep managing to fool me."

Arrrgh's eyes widened and his ears minutely perked.

"How?" He asked.

A small smile graced Blinky's lips.

"You don't strike me as a killer, at least not the type who would kill if he had a choice... but war tends to change that."

Those words struck deep within the general.

Upon his upbringing as a gum-gum, the elder trolls often fussed about his strangely peaceful nature. They tried a multitude of things to push him towards aggression.

Eventually he'd lost all patience for controlling his temper.

"Must fight." Arrrgh murmured.

For only the weak refused to fight, and the weak are expendable.

A once over of Blinky and he realized the small troll would fall under that scrutiny if he were a gum-gum.

"That, on the other hand, I cannot accept." the stout troll declared, "Everyone has a choice... That is what I find admirable about soldiers. To willingly fight to protect their beliefs... I can only wish to one day posses such courage, useless as I am."

"You're not useless." The larger troll found himself denying aloud, "You're smart."

Blinky tried to dismiss him with a wave, however, Arrrgh persisted.

"Blinky smart." He declared, "You showed me my name."

And far more he thought to himself...

Once again he recalled the few messengers and scribes and intellectuals scattered amongst the gum-gum army. Intellectuals are either placed as cannon fodder or kept close as tactitians and generals. Gunmar himself certainly is no fool, but his resentment for weakness is great. He exalted the wise only if they could hold their own in a fight. The rest were simply nuisances.

Arrrgh was beginning to suspect the gum-gums had wasted many irreplaceable trolls as such. The wise could have taught others and given their army the advantage of both strength of the mind to compliment their physical strength.

Thing is, Arrrgh could never be sure of his guess. He was no genius... but Blinky just well may be.

"Blinky smart." He said once more, and neither troll could refrain from smiling.

"If you insist." The blue troll chuckled.

He stood up and offered a pair of hands. Even though Arrrgh didn't need the help, he took them with one of his own larger hands and arose to his feet.

Now dusting off his shorts, the scholar let out a deep sigh and studied the few stray strands of light that had managed to break through the leaves.

It wouldn't be much longer until the dull beams would be replaced by bright rays of gold.

"By dawn, I really should be on my way." Blinky mumbled, "I've got some place to be, and the sun should at least point me in the general direction I was headed... until then... may I walk with you?"

The camp should still be a bit of a ways off. They should be fine for now.

And so together they continued on deeper and deeper into the forest.

The second time they were interrupted didn't happen to be a deer, or any forest dweller... and there was no warning.

A tall, lanky troll dropped down from a tree branch intercepting their path.

She was a deep green shade, dressed in black and wielded a single dagger. Her name was Mallina and she was a gum-gum scout.

"General Arrrgh."

She withdrew the blade and offered a bow to her superior before turning to face his companion.

"And Blinkous Galadrigal. Brother of the recently felled troll advisor, Dictatious Galadrigal."

Blinky flinched. Arrrgh realized his mistake.

'-Deya's grace-' the blue troll had used earlier during his rant. Deya was the leader of the trolls. Gum-gums never used that phrase... and then Blinky had been uneasy after saying he was a neutral.

Mallina stepped forward. Blinky tripped and fell flat on his back. Arrrgh remained still.

"No need to bring this one in for questioning, general. I hear that, unlike his brother, he's somewhat of an outcast among his own kind." She informed, moving even closer to the fallen troll, then faltered.

She took a moment to sniff the air.

"An incubator!" The lanky troll exclaimed, "Now I understand. Did you claim him?"

Arrrgh suddenly felt numb as he looked to Blinky. The scholar's eyes wide and irises narrowed to fine points, an expression of absolute terror.

Mallina was an excellent scout for many reasons. One being her keen sense of smell.

She had turned to Arrrgh, waiting for a reply.

In his shocked state he only managed a "No."

"Then allow me to take care of him." She purred, advancing towards the incubator as he struggled away with all four hands.

A surge of energy jolted through Arrrgh's body.

Something felt different as his eyes and tattoos began to glow. For the first time in a long time, it wasn't rage that powered his movements. There was no swelling fire within, but in it's place a tight, hollow coldness. A feeling far worse, though even more motivating.

As her head crumbled to stone in his hand he realized... it was fear.

His frantic eyes searched Blinky over for injury as he picked the shaking troll up from the ground.

Of all his life as a gum-gum, Blinky was by far the kindest troll he ever met.

He pulled the stout troll into a firm embrace, apologizing again and again until the shaking subsided completely.

* * *

AN: There is a 400 year time skip between this and the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: This chapter takes place 400 years after the last chapter.

* * *

 **Present (part 1)**

"Stay vigilant, Master Jim!" Blinky called up to the boy leaping across the shifting floor, "Take advantage of all your senses. Remember that each have the potential to sense danger."

Jim nodded before rolling left to avoid dissection via giant swinging Forge blade. He rolled once more before returning to his feet, only to duck as fire burst overhead.

Satisfied with the results (and taking into account that his charge was beginning to tier past the point of safety) Blinky pressed the Forge switch. Once the floor returned to being flat and immobile, he praised the young trollhunter.

"Excellent! I believe you've earned yourself a short break. Tobias said he brought you a snack. Might as well enjoy it."

"Yeah!" Toby cheered as he waved a paper bag back and forth encouragingly, "Hurry up before they get cold!"

Since the death of Bular, the portly teen had brought tacos to every other Thursday training session as well as a few broken VHS-tapes or hairballs for Arrrgh to snack on. Today Toby bought everyone their own individual bag of tacos, though Blinky was too lost in his thoughts to think to join them.

Draal had yet to join them either as he was practicing with his replacement limb. After Draal had given his arm for all troll kind, he'd been allowed back into Heartstone trollmarket and all of Blinky's doubts about Kanjigar's son protecting Jim were completely eradicated. The brute had become somewhat of a friend.

The only member of their group absent at the moment was Claire Nuniez. The blue troll quite enjoyed her enthusiasm in literature, the one place the boys fell short.

Blinky shook his head affectionately as Toby and Arrrgh shared a multi-step fist bump.

Arrrgh has been his closest friend for roughly four hundred years. After he defected from the gum-gums, not many would associate with the pacifist. It was pleasing to see Arrrgh make a new friend.

Jim decided to lob one of his tacos at Draal's back when the troll had ignored Toby's invitation to eat. The troll growled before brushing himself off and reluctantly joining the group.

Blinky's chuckle caught in his throat when a gravelly voice startled him from nearby.

"Some trollhunter! Fooling around, wasting time... It's just dumb luck that he managed to kill Bular."

Twisting around to face said voice, the historian was greeted by the sight of a slightly tipsy troll. It was the one who owned the cat meat stand closest to the tattoo artist's stall, if he recalled correctly. The troll didn't pass through the Hero's Forge all that often. However, the few times he did, he'd never paid their training any mind.

"I assure you it was far more than luck!" Blinky retorted, "And this is just a short respite. He's still very young and requires-"

"I guess it doesn't matter since it's not his fault he has a paranoid, unclaimed incubator for a trainer."

The blue troll tensed. He tried to speak, but no words formed.

The boy's took notice of the rising tension as both Arrrgh and Draal were now glaring in the newcomer's direction. Draal's countenance was one of simple irritation, while Arrrgh's mirrored his expression the day he'd defended Jim his first time in troll market.

"Look at that! I've managed to render a preachy incubator like you speechless."

Toby scooted closer to Jim as both their hulking friends were up and moving, deep growls occasionally filling their throats. The portly boy tugged at the other's shoulder plating.

"What's an incubator?" He whispered, only to receive a shrug in response.

They watched the scene before them. It seemed the stranger had yet to notice the advancing trolls, or simply did not care to acknowledge them.

He continued, "It's no mystery why Unkar was felled in his first battle. Your type has no place in a fight, much less teaching others how to-"

A hint of green light from his the corner of his eye and Draal knew that it would be difficult for Arrrgh to hold back if he got close enough.

Using his superior agility, Draal leapt over Blinky and delivered a sturdy kick to the newcomer's midsection. As the troll was forced to skid back, Arrrgh positioned himself directly behind his stout friend and growled once more. The tipsy troll scampered away.

Rage's green glow faded and the ex-gum-gum became hesitant. It had been so very long since anyone had the gall to use physical status to insult the historian. Of course the market troll probably wouldn't have dared said those things if he were of a clear mind... still.

"Blinky?" Arrrgh tried.

Blinky jumped slightly before turning to face the largest of their group, his expression unreadable.

"I-I'm fine... I just-" he glanced over to the other blue troll, "Draal, would you and Arrrgh take over for today?"

Before anyone could reply, Blinky too had hurried away from the Hero's Forge in the direction of trollmarket. Two very worried teens were now standing adjacent the pacifist.

"What's a matter with Blinky?" Toby asked only to frown when his wingman slumped significantly and didn't answer.

Draal placed his metallic hand on the larger troll's shoulder.

"Go on. I can handle it from here." He suggested, then gave the other a soft push.

Arrrgh nodded and trudged after his stout friend. Draal watched him leave quietly, and then addressed the two boys.

"Stay here, fleshbags. I won't be long."

"You're leaving too?" Jim huffed, "What exactly are you not telling us-telling me! I'm the trollhunter. It's my duty-"

"Why'd that guy call Blinky an unclaimed incubator?"

Normally, Jim would have elbowed his friend for interrupting, but Draal visibly bristled at Toby's query. His gaze drifted and his voice became dangerously low.

"Never repeat those words again, especially in front of Arrrgh or Blinky. It fact, forget either of you heard anything."

This subject was beginning to set Draal on edge. To hear a troll so blatantly shout someone's physical status... especially one of Blinky's status... it makes for all kinds of wrong... Which is why he wants to assure that it never happens again. He turned to leave, but the humans are nothing if not persistent.

"Why are you leaving? Didn't you tell Arrrgh you were going to help Jimbo train?" The red haired teen asked.

Draal sighed. The boys weren't going to stop and now they were following him.

"Look. I don't expect a couple of humans to understand our culture. All you have to know is the term 'incubator' is very... derogatory on its own. To call some troll an 'unclaimed incubator' is even more so." The blue troll huffed, "I'm on my way to teach that market troll a proper lesson."

Jim quirked a brow and he and Toby hastened to keep up with their agitated friend. Draal hadn't even realized his growing speed.

To be honest, all the trolls in Heartstone Trollmarket knew of Blinky's physical status. They on occasion would whisper behind the stout troll's back. Draal himself had been guilty of this once or twice. Now, however, that he's had the chance to better connect with their resident conspiracy theorist, he refused to tolerate such disrespect.

"The kick wasn't enough?" Jim frowned.

"I rather you two returned to the Hero's Forge than get involved in a matter you couldn't possibly understand." He said, stopping to face them directly, "And this is by no means the proper way for you to learn personal details about your trainer."

The trollhunter let his head fall forward with a long drawn out exhale before giving Draal a definite nod.

"Come on, Tobes." Jim wrapped an arm around the shorter teen's shoulders, "Don't kill him, okay Draal?"

"Never crossed my mind." He said, making sure the boys were on their way before continuing on.

Truth be told, he sent Arrrgh after Blinky in hopes to spare the tipsy troll. The large troll may be a pacifist, but Draal had seen him attack Bular.

Rage did many things to trolls. The son of Kanjigar was far from willing to see what it could do to an ex-gum gum who's defending his closest friend.

* * *

AN: Am I really supposed to ask for readers to review? Well, this is the only time I will. What's your thoughts on this fic so far?


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I am a vague writer.

* * *

 **Present (part 2)**

Arrrgh knew exactly where his friend made off too.

There is only one place Blinkous Galadrigal would go in search of solitary comfort. His library. The only place he felt he truly belonged.

Blinky's confidence stemmed from his knowledge and his insecurities from his physical attributes.

Short as he may be, the blue troll had the bearings to argue with Vendel himself. He felt strong when he made large aggressors wilt by the use of his words alone and his limbs tingled with joy when others benefited from his advice...

But he was short for a male troll, short and weak... and to make situations worse, of the 'rarest' physical status.

The door to the library wasn't shut properly and, with a light nudge, it swung open.

No troll insight.

No matter, as there's a back room that served as the historian's cave.

Instead of a door, there was a curtain to separate his cave from the rest of the library. Arrrgh brushed past it to see his friend slightly curled and facing the opposite wall.

Beds, for trolls, varied based on to whom it belongs. Most trolls are perfectly fine with the stone floor, such as Arrrgh. Female trolls often have something to rest their upper bodies on due to their differing proportions. Then there are elder trolls like Vendel that require more cushion for their backs. Finally, there's the unique one's.

Blinky prefers to lay on his side, but in most beds his lower set of shoulders makes things irritable. Now, however, he lay amongst a nest of pillows he can easily adjust to comfortably accommodate his extra limbs.

"I know you're there." Blinky sighed, "And I would appreciate some time alone."

His voice was eerily soft in comparison to his usual confident baritone. It almost frightened the larger troll.

Arrrgh didn't respond, and his friend remained still.

The ex-general couldn't bring himself to leave, so he crept forward and then rested his chin on the edge of the pillow pile.

A blue ear twitched as the massive troll's breath brushed against it.

Having realized Arrrgh wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, the stout troll shifted around.

The act of crying is relatively simple for humans. For trolls however, it is a very difficult and draining thing to do, as unlike their squishy friends, they are not made up of 2/3's water. To see a single tear trail across that blue face...

The only other time he'd cried was after the death of his elder brother, Dictatious.

"I'm-"

"Blinky smart." Arrrgh interrupted, raising a hand to wipe away the tear, "You are smart."

Blinky chuckled, "I apologize for my... behavior. It's silly of me to overreact to the ramblings of some drunkard."

The pacifist frowned.

No troll cries for no reason. No tear shed by a troll can physically be an overreaction, and his friend knew this.

"Blinky smart." He repeated.

The historian took the hint, yet remained unconvinced.

"I've had six hundred years to get over this, my dear friend."

Persistent, but so was Arrrgh.

"This time's different." He pressed, "You are smart."

The large troll inched forward and continued, "You are smart. You are kind. You helped me. You care. You helped Jim. You're my friend."

At that last one, Blinky gave him a very tense, conflicted smile.

Arrrgh then leaned forward and gently nuzzled his cheek.

"Blinky also family."

A second thing extremely rare for a troll to do is blush, yet the historian's face managed to darken.

The ex-general would have laughed if the situation were different.

"It's cause he called you unclaimed." Arrrgh surmised.

The blue troll opened his mouth to object in which the larger troll denied saying, "Blinky smart."

His friend huffed in defeat, "I don't understand why it is affecting me so. It's never bothered me this much before."

Another nuzzle, except this time to his chest and with a little more pressure.

"Can I help?"

Despite his instincts urging him to lean into the pressure, Blinky manages to push the other's head back.

"I-I've never been claimed because... I am not prone to th-the idea of casual relationships." He informed, looking away to avoid those two green eyes.

Imagine the surprise when Arrrgh smiled, "Me neither."

All six eyes widened and filled with something pleasant. Wonder and hope and many things the larger troll couldn't name met his own eyes before he nuzzled once more.

"If you want."

* * *

AN: And then they enjoyed some one on one time!

I have so many theories about troll anatomy, it's insane. We know they have organs and need to breath and so much more. I could go on and on but I won't to spare you readers.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I think the kids are still just young teenagers and don't always act perfect like everyone wants them to.

* * *

 **Present (part 3)**

Yesturday left two very confused teens with no solid answers and plenty of distracting thoughts to avoid focusing on schoolwork, or anything else really, which happened to attract Claire's attention. For people entrusted with the secret of an entire civilization under their feet, they really needed to learn how to properly whisper.

All she really managed to catch though was that Jim was worried about Blinky and Arrrgh didn't stay the night at Toby's.

Slighlty annoyed she'd missed yesterday's training, Claire wanted nothing more than to spend the majority of her evening in trollmarket.

"Jim!" She called, having caught the boys just before they mounted their bikes.

"Oh. Hi Claire." He smiled sheepishly.

"So... what time are you heading to tr- I mean, the chess club today?"

Despite the fact no one appeared to be listening in on their conversion, she'd become weary of those around her and requested they didn't use the 't' word quite so often in public. Anyone could be a changling. Her brother was proof of that.

Luckily the boys agreed and for one reason or another decided to relate all that business to a chess club.

It was a good cover actually, as she now had an excuse for why she was gone all the time.

"Well, we were considering showing up... a little late."

Jim's features became tense, just as they did during his conversation with Toby.

"Really? I was thinking of heading over there right now- after I told my parents of course." She added hastily.

The boys shared a look. A very conflicted almost pained look.

Toby sighed, "Jim should probably ask his mother if that's okay. My Nana doesn't really care what I do during the day, but Miss Lake might not appreciate Jimbo running off again."

Reluctantly, Claire nodded, "Call me when you find out."

She then strode away, still not quite sure that her parents would let her go tonight if they caught her talking to Jim. They had officially dubbed him as a 'bad influence' in her life.

The dark haired teen whirled around to glare at his friend.

"What was that, Tobes? You know my mom's left for work already." He muttered as they finally began their ride home.

"Hey! I bought you some time. Besides, I thought we were going along with my plan." The portly boy huffed trying to keep up with his more athletic friend as they started off down the sidewalk.

Jim scoffed, "Are you kidding?! You don't start avoiding people because they were insulted! Just think about how that would look!"

If he started to avoid Blinky because he simply didn't know what to do, how would his trainer react?

Nope.

"Fine, but showing up late will just make things awkward."

"Okay then. We'll go early."

"Fine."

"Fine."

They ended up coming less than half an hour early, and discovered that to be about the same time Draal showed up.

Jim was tempted to ask what happened with the other troll, but then remembered Draal decided to act as if last night had never happened.

Claire seemed far too interested in studying everyone, though eventually the awkward silence deterred her curiosity. That is... until Blinky and Arrrgh showed up.

The former caught everyone off guard. He displayed all his usual signs of nervousness. Hands wringing together, head slightly bowed, eyes flitting about, hunched shoulders, yet a genuine smile stretched across his face.

Behind him, Arrrgh was not using his front arms to walk and stood at his full height whenever they strolled past another troll. He'd glare them down until they ducked their heads and hurried away.

The moment they stepped foot into the Hero's Forge, Draal's eyes widened and he sniffed lightly at the air.

He raised two placating hands as he approached the two trolls, and Arrrgh finally slumped back to using his arms with a grin.

"I believe a congratulations is in order." Draal offered a small smile.

"That's not necessary-"

Blinky was cut off by the larger troll nuzzeling the side of his head, making him sputter.

"What's to congradulate?" Claire asked only for the historian to sputter some more.

Arrrgh hummed, "When you're older."

Well, that did the trick and all three kids lost the courage to ask anything else.

Luckily once Blinky found his bearings, training proceeded as any normal day would have... with maybe the exception no extras had wondered near or through the Forge the entire time.

Whenever a troll got close, Arrrgh would be found looming over Blinky and then said troll would haitale it out of sight.

By the end of the session, Toby was informed that his wingman would not be heading home with him tonight.

The troll then promptly scooped the historian up into his arms and wandered off, leaving the teenagers and Draal to their own devices.

Draal was in no mood to linger and left as well.

Claire finally decided to grill some answers from the boys.

"So which of you is going to tell me what that was, and who will explain what happened yesterday."

They regretted saying anything when she suggested searching up 'unclaimed incubator' in BLINKY'S very own library.

It felt like they'd just broken some sort of bro code or just betrayed family...

But Claire had the ability to convince Jim to do almost anything, and Toby was Jim's best friend. With his wingman currently occupied, the portly boy decided to stay with them.

The boys were hoping to see evidence the two trolls were inside the library. However, fate seemed to favor Claire's curiosity.

The lights were out and no sound resonated from within.

It also turns out that Blinky doesn't lock the door when he's away either, which spoiled the boys' second hope in avoiding this altogether.

Once inside they got to work... or really, Jim and Claire got to work since he had the amulet and she'd learned to read trollish. Toby doubted looking at the pictures would help much this go around so he decided to volunteer as official lookout.

The other two poured through book after book after book.

Nearly an hour later Claire cheered.

"I found it!" She said, "Or at least it's mentioned right here."

Both boys quickly situated themselves at her sides.

"What does it say?" Toby asked, squinting at the foreign symbols littering the page.

"This book's an autobiography of a troll journalist who, in this paragraph, explains that he met an incubator. He says that based off his short stature and sweet scent, he was able to tell that the troll he met had to be an incubator."

"Sweet scent?" Jim frowned, "This doesn't really explain anything."

Claire rolled her eyes and slammed the book shut.

"Yes, it does. If they give off a certain scent, we can safely assume it involves their anatomy. Maybe they have something similar to how humans have differing hormones between men and women-"

"Or maybe they're made up of sweeter smelling minerals!" Toby added, though the other two weren't quite sure there was such a thing as sweet smelling minerals.

Who knew? Trolls think old socks taste amazing. What's to say their definition of sweet is completely different from a humans' definition?

"So, what now?" Jim rubbed the back of his neck and Tobias returned to the seat next to the window.

"We start focusing on anatomy books."

* * *

AN: Personally, I view Claire as being very nosy and curious. I also notice she tends to overlook other people's situations when she has a goal set. Like, she didn't seem to really take the time to think about all the dangers she's placing on Jim in cannon because she's too busy worrying about her baby brother.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I know have a problem with writing characters as if the can infer things well, which may make readers following along struggle with fully grasping what's happening.

* * *

 **Present (part 4)**

"Congratulations." he offered.

Vendel, of all the trolls residing in Heartstone Trollmarket, had known Blinkous Galadrigal the longest. He was first introduced to the blue troll (a mere whelp at the time) by his elder brother, Dictatious.

Vendel had also seen this outcome as a slow burning inevitability.

He'd known the very night Blinkous approached him with a newly flipped gum-gum general in toe, the two would be paired. The warrior had displayed signs of posturing over the blue troll that entire meeting.

Now, despite expecting Arrrgh's claim, the elder troll couldn't hide the mild surprise tainting his features.

To hear good news from his recent bringer of panic ensuing information was a pleasant change.

"Though, I suppose, you did not come here to boast. What is it you require?" Vendel asked, holding the door open and waving them in.

"We were hoping to make things official..." Blinky said, then added, "Following the Krubera tradition."

That, the elder troll did not expect. For all intents and purposes, they both viewed Trollmarket as their home. Arrrgh rarely visited the deep caves and Blinkous' origins remained here.

However, the historian DOES hold a deep respect for traditions and Aarghaumont WAS born a Krubera. Maybe it wasn't too far fetched?

"I will send in a request to the Krubera. They'll, no doubt, be eager to lend the necessary supplies..." Vendle's smile faltered slightly, "Does this not feel a bit rushed?"

A typical courting would last anywhere between one to fifty years before making it official.

"Known Blinky four hundred years." Arrrgh stated matter-of-factly, "Not rushed."

"Yes." The historian agreed, "While those years may have been without... intimacy, we have been close in every other sense. So much so, there exists no doubts in which should delay our bonding."

Vendel offered a small nod as he mused to himself. He'd expected Blinkous to draw out the courting due to insecurities about his physical status. Today was chuck full of little marvels.

"I see... What colors? Blue and green?" The opal-eyed troll guessed.

"Only green." Arrrgh said, gently nuzzling the side of his companion's head.

Blinky tried to push the larger troll away, apparently flustered by the public display.

Trolls, unlike humans, have never been all that open with physical affection. The boys had definitely changed that aspect somewhat in these two. After a while, the blue troll simply accepted Aaghaumont's touches.

"Green for both of you?" Vendel raised a single brow ridge.

That could work seeing as Arrrgh's skin was grey-

Blinky grinned, "Just for me."

"Then what will-" the elder troll stopped, then proceeded to chuckle, "You're mixing traditions! Now that clears things up."

He chuckled again.

The two really were perfect for each other... not that Vendel would ever say so out loud. He occasionally enjoyed his arguments with Blinkous and didn't want to feed the historian's ego.

"Many thanks, but we should be on our way now. I have a little research I've been neglecting these last two days." Blinky admitted sheepishly.

"I have things in need of my attention as well." The elder troll sighed, "Until next time."

"Until next time."

The paired trolls quietly exited the room and the door clicked shut behind them.

Vendel's smile dimmed.

They really were perfect for each other.

He only hoped this recent talk of entering the darklands to save the girl's brother and to kill Gunmar turned out to be a hoax... or by some miracle they'd succeed.

Back at the library...

They sat together staring at the same page for nearly ten minutes before one of them finally broke the silence.

"So... now we know where baby trolls can come from."

"Dude, you should have guessed it was at least a little bit similar to humans after the first time Blinky taught you rule number three."

"Sorry if I was too preoccupied with the existence of trolls, my destiny, training, school, and Bular trying to kill me at the time to make assumptions, Tobes."

"Guys, we found what we came for. I say we save this discussion for tomorrow."

"Mom's gonna kill me. It's already two hours past my curfew."

"Isn't it strange Blinky still hasn't shone up yet?"

And with that in mind, they tidied up a little and made their leave.

* * *

AN: Enjoy my shitty update? Also, Vendel is clearly not blind (he acts perfectly fine in the show) and I say his eyes are just opal.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: You're still reading this shit? My shit? I'm flattered.

* * *

 **Present (part 5)**

Of all trolls, why did the fleshbags insist on pestering him?

Unfortunately, Drall couldn't leave the basement quite yet. The sun was out and his tunnel still incomplete. In other words, he was efficiently cornered.

The female, Claire, seemed to have dragged the other two along with her. However, he could see both the boys' curiosity. They had questions of their own. In other words, all three were guilty.

"I've said this once and I'll say it again. Questioning me is by no means the proper way for you to learn personal information about Blinky."

The troll couldn't hide the annoyance edging through his voice. This was getting ridiculous.

Claire shook her head, "I don't recall. So-"

"The trollhunter and his friend do." Draal growled, "I grow weary of your cultural disrespect."

The girl recoiled slightly at the accusation.

"Sorry. Don't blame them. It was my idea..." She admitted, though her words did little to endear the boys to the warrior.

He did, however, lower his glare to focus on the floor.

A dainty hand rested on Draal's right arm, and Claire offered a timid smile.

"But it's too late to take it back. We already know what 'incubator' means." She said, looking to the boys for support.

They nodded.

"Then why are you here?" Draal huffed.

The last thing he wanted to discuss was a comrade's physical status.

The portly one stood to join Claire and tugged Jim along with him.

Toby supplied, "We know what it means, but why is it considered an insult? And the book didn't tell us anything about the whole 'unclaimed' part."

Draal raked his prosthetic hand over his face.

Now the conversation had jumped from uncomfortable to down right unsettling.

"No comment on the former, and the whole 'claiming' issue is irrelevant now." He said crossing his arms.

Jim frowned, "So, he's no longer 'unclaimed' as in someone... claimed him? Sounds a bit..."

"Possessive?" Toby offered.

"Objectifing." Claire tsked.

As the three chartered on, Draal resolved to simply close his eyes and tune out the teenagers and their ridiculous human assumptions.

He knew he should have just kept his mouth shut.

...

Arrrgh and Blinky arrived at the Hero's Forge only to find three awaiting children and an unusually absent son of Kanjigar.

"Master Jim." The blue troll called, "Will Draal not be joining us today?"

The trollhunter heaved a long drawn-out sigh and shook his head.

"I doubt it."

"He's not speaking with us." Toby added.

The historian shared a glance with Arrrgh, who appeared equally confused.

While Draal may be known to overreact on occasion, he is prideful, dutiful, and blunt. One would think he'd vent his anger through pushing Jim harder during training rather than resorting to... the silent treatment. Even then, to aid in training does not require speech. That was Blinky's job. Not to mention he could easily avoid both Tobias and Claire altogether during this time.

"And why, pray tell, is that?" Blinky asked.

The answer hung briefly as Arrrgh and Tobias exchanged a quick fist bump.

A small glare in the pacifist's direction and the large troll understood that the distraction was not appreciated.

"He's demanded all three of us owe you an apology." Claire said, wringing her hands together, "We went to your library last night and.. well..."

She bit her bottom lip and the boys were staring dutifully at the floor. None of them knew how to say the next part politely. They began to seriously regret ignoring Draal's advice to mind their own business.

Jim muttered, "We told Claire about what happened Thursday and, against our better judgment, tried to find out... what that one market troll..."

Blinky's throat felt dry and his eyes narrowed.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" He prompted, a pair of eyes focused on each teenager.

They nodded simultaneously, faces solemn.

The stout troll continued, "Will this be a problem with any of you?"

"Not at all!" Jim insisted while his friends shook their heads vigorously, "We just- we're sorry for looking into your personal life behind your back."

When the humans assulted him with pleading looks, it was impossible to work up the energy for a proper reprimand.

Blinky smiled, "Apology accepted. Next time-"

His words fell on deft ears as the kids began to flood him with their gratitude. Then, he nearly stumbled when Arrrgh nuzzled the side of his head. The large troll wrapped an arm around the historian and pulled him close.

"Let's tell them." Arrrgh suggested, confident now seeing the teens' relieved features.

"Uhh.." Blinky nuzzled back lightly and sighed, "This probably won't make a lick of sense to any of you, but we have decided to make Arrrgh's claim official."

The kids' eyes became as wide as saucers taking the blue troll by surprise. Obviously it meant something to them.

Toby was the first to break from his stupor and smiled up at the ex-general.

"Is this what Draal meant? Congratulations!" He offered, "That is what I'm supposed to say, right? Isn't this why Draal congratulated you yesterday?"

While his and the other teens' guesses and theories surrounding the term 'claimed' were for the most part negative, he knew Arrrgh. Whatever this claim was, his friend and Blinky looked content.

"Close enough." Arrrgh said, then adding, "Sorry, left you alone."

He'd felt a tad guilty leaving Toby alone the last two nights without explanation.

"No problemo, Wingman."

* * *

AN: So for all who have not guessed what an "incubator" is supposed to be, it's a male troll with the ability to give birth. Basically a hermaphrodite that has both working bits (cause I love Mpreg). I had thought i would have gone into more detail, but alas. My writing just left it in the vague zone.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: The whole jump thing just refers to the second time skip. I didn't label it as future because the the time skip is really small.

* * *

 **Jump part 1**

With the exception of numerous surprise nuzzles and the occasional night Toby spent without his roomie, their relationship managed just as it had before the claim. Blinky wouldn't have it any other way.

The kids' behavior had all returned to normal soon after that fateful day the claim was finalized.

Now a permanent symbol adorned the blue troll's skin of his upper-left shoulder blade. A small intricate thing in which His mate's birth name is integrated. For Arrrgh, his gold earring now held a fine engraving of Blinky's full name.

Although the historian could not see the symbol without the aid of a mirror, just the mere thought of it's presence settled all insecurities involving his physical status. It was solid proof just how serious Arrrgh had been the night he offered the claim. It... It wasn't there anymore.

He'd checked multiple times and even requested others to do so as well...

But alas, it appears his trip through Gato's Keep had completely transformed him. None of his physical troll attributes remained, including the symbol.

Blinky was stuck in a soft, fleshy body until who knows when.

Once his initial panic over the change had waned to a minimum, he thought to make the most of it. So he did just that with the aid of his favorite three teenagers. It was great... 'was' being the key word.

As of late, he noticed a sort of rift forming between Arrrgh and himself. The large troll began distancing himself and stopped bynear all forms of physical contact.

How could such a smooth, unblemished relationship take a turn for the worse in so little time.

Blinky narrowed it down to his being a human.

Maybe Arrrgh too found the absence of the symbol disturbing as well, or maybe it had to do with his scent (which had undoubtedly changed). Maybe the body in general was an eyesore after the initial hilarity of his predicament had worn off.

Either way, the stout tr- uhh... human planned on getting to the bottom of his mate's recent behavior.

Whatever the problem, it was far from healthy for their relationship, and as Arrrgh once again shifted away from him with a light grunt, Blinky drew the line.

"You don't have to hide it from me. I may have only two eyes but I can see clear as day. It's obvious." He said turning to face his mate,"Ever since my human deformity you have been... distant."

He hoped he didn't sound too clingy or anything. The sudden change just left him a tad bit concerned.

"Uh. Yes, Distant." The troll simply agreed.

"I may look different, but I'm still the same Blinky." He insisted, voice growing in volume.

The historian couldn't make heads or tails of Arrrgh's expression. It appeared strained, yet relived, yet sad all wrapped into one.

It then occurred to the man that maybe the pacifist felt similar. Blinky had spent most of his time in his daylight-immune body on the surface.

"How about to cheer you up, maybe later today I could rent a minivan. We could go for a drive. Something with tinted windows of course. I hear we're not too far from the world's largest thermometer. I bet you could eat it."

He splayed his two arms out and tried for a smile. It wilted, however, when Arrrgh turned his back to him.

"Not today." Arrrgh mumbled.

Something caved within Blinky as he watched the troll go. All energy seemed to have dissipated and he felt tired... resigned, really.

It took an actual effort to say, "Perhaps another time, my dear friend."

No reply came, and though he didn't expect one, he wished for some reassurance.

Blinky pushed away the urge to follow after the troll, for he would respect his mate's obvious desire to be alone. By Deya's grace, the historian was guilty of seeking out solitary on multiple occasions. He would respect Arrrgh's decision.

Besides, there was a far more pressing matter at hand with Angor Rot targeting Jim. That took precedence over... whatever was bothering the pacifist.

* * *

AN: That conversation is from episode 20, I think? I didn't change Blinky referring to Arrrgh as his 'dear friend' because I think that he's been referring to him as his 'friend' for so long that it's just plain habit.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: It's funny. I know I have at least 16 constant readers based off the traffic stats. I wish this cite was more like AO3 and included a kudos button. It's much easier than writing a comment.

* * *

 **Jump (part 2)**

Human's are often considered to be fragile to trolls for far more reasons than their soft bodies. With such short life spans, humans' emotions and mental states change rapidly in comparison to a troll's.

It's completely understandable considering they require these things in order to form relationships, learn to fend for themselves, and raise offspring in an average of less than one measly century. It's nigh unfathomable.

So, the moment he recognized the injury and it's cause, Blinky couldn't bring himself to be angry.

"Your wound. Creeper's Sun poison."

He reached forward to touch the afflicted area only for Arrrgh to recoil from the pain.

"Oh Arrrgh, why did you not tell us?" Asked the stout troll despite already knowing the answer.

"Didn't want worry." The large troll frowned as Claire and Jim peered up with wide eyes and Toby kept his distance.

It was too sudden a shock for any troll, more so for such youthful humans.

Claire's gazed zeroed in on the darkened stone skin.

"Angor Rot must have cut him."

Despite the fact her blunder that day had to of happened after the fact, she felt guilty. Though apparently she wasn't the only one.

Jim huffed, "This is my fault. It should have been me that got hurt."

"Not Jim's fault." Arrrgh insisted, weary of both teens' self-depreciating thoughts, "Don't want to leave."

Tobias couldn't hold back a rather loud sniffle.

This wasn't the proper way to approach the kids, not that they had much choice in the matter. They were visibly cracking around the edges... but to say Blinky was not effected is absolute hogwash.

"The only way you will survive is with your own kind. You must return with them." he pressed.

He should have figured it out. He let a little insecurity about his human form blind his usual perception.

"We could always visit." Jim's weak attempt to lighten the mood only drove Blinky's regrets deeper.

"I'm afraid, Master Jim, only the Krubera can thrive in the deep caves."

The historian himself was unable to adapt to the harsh conditions of his mate's homeland.

The trollhunter visibly wilted.

"Oh... well, if it means you'll live." he tried. He really did.

The large troll couldn't summon the will to speak.

"Oh Arrrgh, what sort of friend would I be if I demanded you stayed?" Blinky forced out.

He refused to let this sound like a final goodbye, and he needed the human's to understand. Arrrgh's life was more important than his company.

The darkness in which shrouded the Krubera caves would overwhelm Creeper's Sun poison. It's the only place shadows held dominion over any form of daylight.

"I... will go." Arrrgh tried to keep his voice steady. "Goodbye."

The feelings brewing within made that run in with the tipsy market troll seem like a walk in the park. Even so, Blinkous refused to shed a single tear. He could fuss later once the kids were gone.

"The times.. the laughs..." he wished to elevate everyone's spirits, to focus on the positives... no proper sentence would form.

Luckily, Claire pulled through for him.

"For once, he's speechless." She said, placing a reassuring hand on his own, "And here we just got to know each other. I'll miss you big guy."

Arrrgh enveloped her thin figure in a gentle embrace. As she withdrew, Draal stepped forward to pat the ex-warrior on the shoulder.

"Goodbye old friend. I shall protect them in your stead."

It was a very deep type of promise to receive from an unrelated troll, yet there were no doubts Draal would stake his pride on it.

Finally, Arrrgh turned his attention on the distraught boy he'd grown so very close to.

"Wingman." He smiled and offered a fist bump.

Toby couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he ran, tears wetting his cheeks.

That boy had come to mean so much to the larger troll. Blinky could feel it held a similar standing to his bond with Jim. His mate even spent his final goodbye asking they relay a message to Toby.

Once Arrrgh and his fellow Krubera were out of sight, Jim and Claire followed after the other teen in hopes of conveying the message and uplifting the boy's spirits.

What fragile creatures indeed... though the historian could also view it as a strength.

He'd seen them adapt to situations quicker than any troll he knew. He only wished that Tobias could be strong until Arrrgh's return.

Blinky found himself to be the only one of the group left, eyes still fixated on the exit.

"Blinkous?" Came a familiar voice.

"How long..." he turned to face the elder troll, "How long until he can return?"

Vendel's countenance was one of pitty, the last thing the historian wanted to see.

The pale troll sighed, "It will take at least a few months before the darkness will stop the poison from spreading. The healing process, however, could take years."

Blinky had years, centuries even. Humans do not.

He frowned, "The children-"

"Blinky." A soft rumbling voice called out.

It couldn't be real, but the selfish part of him acknowledged it anyways and returned his gaze to the exit.

Small as his legs may be, he was across the room in an instant and nuzzled himself against his mate's chest.

"Go home." He muttered, his more pragmatic side insisting.

The pacifist simply nuzzled back and smiled.

"My family is my home."

* * *

AN: The first conversation in this chapter is taken from episode 23. (Seriously, fanfiction needs a kudos button.) Aaaannd the next chapter will probably be the last.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Last chapter. I might write a sequel. Who knows? Happy Easter!

* * *

 **Jump (part 3)**

Stone. Not living stone. Just pale, grey, brittle, cold, lifeless stone.

Humans don't typically keep corpses on display. An understandable decision considering that, with time, their highly organic bodies decay. As such, they either cremate or bury them within the ground.

Blinky supposed the sight of Arrrgh every time the kids visited trollmarket was unsettling.

It isn't a photo or object... it's him. His actual physical being.

The historian could only guess they'd never quite grow used to it, and nearly approved the Krubera's request to return Arrrgh's remains to forever rest in the deep caves.

However, that pesky selfish side of the blue troll refused to let go.

Trolls keep their dead, often display them on pedestals or in a family cavern, as a reminder. The bodies are also rumored to serve as a guide to their respective souls. (A theory backed by the discovery of the void, though no troll knows if only past trollhunters have the ability.)

Toby and Claire... they often avoided that corner of the library, the spot now home to Arrrgh.

The one time Blinky mentioned the Krubera's wishes, he'd been surprised when the portly boy actively opposed them. Tobias appeared to be affected the most by recent events and couldn't bring himself within five feet of his large friend. For him to push his discomfort aside for 'what Arrrgh would want' was very heartwarming to say the least.

In the words of Toby, his 'wingman would want whatever makes Blinky happy.'

And so it stayed.

Funny how much he'd grown close to Tobias these last few days. Only three had come and gone since Jim entered the Darklands, and so the portly boy had to forgo the one he would usually lean on for support. No way would he pressure his Nana, and Claire just didn't seem right. Barbara isn't an option. Instead he went to Blinky.

Toby started by asking about his and Arrrgh's past.

He wasn't sure how many hours he'd spent reminiscing and trying his best to comfort the mourning youth.

Then of course both kids, NotEnrique, and the historian had all agreed to find a way to help Jim.

The trollhunter's absence hurt everyone involved. One doesn't just up and endanger himself after the loss of a friend. Blinky feared the death of Jim would shatter what little hope was managing to hold Toby together.

And Claire... poor girl looked to be at a loss for everything. She spent most of her time with the green changeling or nose deep in a book searching for anything useful.

Too bad these efforts were rewarded with a hefty load of nothing... Everyone's efforts proved fruitless.

Without an amulet of their own, the door to the Darklands would remain closed.

"Galadrigal." Vendel tapped the blue troll's shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts, "We may not require as much rest as the humans, but it's still a necessity. You need to sleep."

Blinky glared up at the elder troll and muttered, "I didn't come here for a lecture."

In fact, he didn't want to be here at all. It certainly wasn't by choice.

Seriously, those trolls should have just minded their own business. It was just a little stumble... and he may or may not have lost consciousness, but that's besides the point.

"I've gone far longer than three days without sleep." He said as Vendle continued to examine him, "Must have bumped my head."

"Your head is fine. However, you are showing clear symptoms of exhaustion. Are you eating enough? Correctly? I know you've taken a moderate liking to human sustenance. While high in nutrients, they provide few if any minerals-"

"I'm no whelp! Spare me the lecture... I'm fine."

He was. He needed to be.

Blinky could read through four entire books before Claire could finish one. He was the adult. He didn't have to keep up with tedious things such as school. The kids needed someone they could rely on, to be a foundation and provide the answers.

"Don't be a fool, Blinkous. What use will you be to Jim if you're too ill to function?" Vendel chided, "We all want to help our trollhunter. The least I can do is ensure his trainer's health."

The historian knew Vendel was right on all accounts. Not that it changed anything.

This wasn't the time to get sloppy. Blinky knows never to shirk on one's health. He's read and studied enough to know his diet and eating habits are well within the parameters of a healthy upkeep.

That momentary blackout of his in the market had actually frightened the stout troll. It made no logical sense.

A large hand rested on his shoulder.

"Perhaps... it may be that you're stressed and haven't the proper time to mourn your loss." The elder troll speculated.

"Nonsense. Stress maybe, but mourning can wait." He had the rest of his life to mourn.

Trolls aren't human. Vendel needed to stop handling him like one.

"I'm not fragile." Blinky stated, holding the taller troll's gaze.

His emotions are in check and he is too damn stubborn and afraid and determined to allow a little stress to tire him.

It must have shown through because Vendel offered him a nod.

"There's only one other possibility I can currently think of." He spoke slowly, his voice growing soft, "The problem...You may be eating and resting enough for one troll."

"But?" Blinky prompted.

"But you are supposed to be getting enough food and rest for two trolls... You and Arrrgh were active, we're you not?"

Vendel waited. The smaller troll's eyes widened and he turned away. The silence drew out to the point the elder troll believed he wouldn't receive an answer.

And then he heard it. Barely a whisper.

"Yes."

* * *

AN: Not much of an amazing ending, but it's where I felt I should stop it. I could go on, but if I do, it'll be it's own story. I'm trying to break this bad habit of thinking up really long stories and never finishing them because I ignore when I felt I should have stopped and then end up leaving everything in disarray. (Those of you who don't understand what just happened, i have one word for you: Mpreg!)


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